Panda Ears
by Hikari Minamoto
Summary: Why does TenTen's hair look the way it does? Is she going to keep that infamous hairdo forever? Neji used to be so nice...can TenTen ever find that boy again? [NejiTen][oneshot]


**Panda Ears**

**by: Hikari Minamoto**

**(( _Disclaimer_: I don't own Naruto...blah,blah,blah... And I'm hoping this hasn't already been done. That would seriously just rain on my parade. xP ))**

..ooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo..

"Whatcha' doin'?"

"Target practice. What's it look like, dummy?" The little girl stuck her tongue out at the pearly-eyed boy. Both looked like they were, at most, five or six years old.

"You don't have to be so mean!" retorted the boy. "I was just askin', that's all!"

"Well, don't bother me then! I have to practice so I can get good." The girl hurled another shuriken at the log with as much force as her little arms could muster.

He gazed at her curiously with those exotic orbs. "Why? Why do you gotta get good?"

She huffed irritably and rolled her eyes. "So I can be as good as Tsunade-sama, _that's_ why!" she stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The boy seemed confused. "Tsunade-sama...?" he repeated unsurely. "Who's that?"

The girl looked mortified. "She's only the _best_ kunoichi in the whole wide world! That's who she is! Don't you know _anything_?"

"Ooooohhh..." He watched her throw a few more shuriken – most of them missing the mark completely. "Well, you're not very good."

She scowled and hurled a few more, ignoring his blunt observance.

The pearly-eyed boy looked back towards the pathway he'd left a few moments ago. He'd left his father (who was doing business at the marketplace) to go exploring on his own. That's when he'd heard an odd noise coming from this little clearing, just a ways off the beaten path. It wasn't too hard to find, but he wasn't sure if his father would be too happy about him going off on his own like this.

The girl ran out of projectiles and walked over to retrieve them. He noticed they were all old and rusty – like the ones careless students threw out or left for garbage. The girl's clothes looked pretty raggedy too. At least his were nice, and clean, and somewhat new...even if they were robes worn only by the branch family. His little brow furrowed. She was so...weird! Even her hair!

"What's with your hair?" he said, voicing his thoughts.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked unsurely, suddenly growing self-conscious and tugging at the two little buns atop her head.

"Why do you wear it like that? It looks like panda ears or something."

Her large sepia eyes narrowed angrily. "Hey! Quit making fun of me or I'll...I'll throw this at you!" she shouted, pointing a shuriken at him.

"Yeah...if you could actually _hit_ me!"

"Shut-up!" The little girl looked like she was on the verge of tears. Her companion stuck his tongue out at her outburst, just as she'd done to him earlier. "Just go away! You aren't allowed to be here!"

"Who says?"

"_Me!_ No boys allowed – especially mean ones!" She huffed and turned back to throwing her shuriken.

"Fine. I'm sorry..." he mumbled sulkily, digging a toe in the dirt. "And I wasn't making fun of your hair."

"Neji? Neji?! Where'd you run off to?" The familiar voice put a smile on the little boy's face.

"Father! I'm over here!" he called, waving his arms in the air. The girl watched curiously as a tall man emerged from the bushes into her clearing. His son looked just like him – how weird.

"There you are! You had me worried, son! Come, we must return home. Hiashi is expecting us for something...oh, hello!" he said in a friendly manner when he noticed Neji's companion. "I'm sorry, are we intruding on your training grounds?"

She shook her head fervently, clutching her shuriken closer to her.

"Oh, good. I'm sorry if my little boy troubled you at all. He didn't, did he?"

She shook her head again.

"Ah, perfect. Well, we really must be going. Good day!" Hizashi took Neji by the hand and began to lead him away. The boy looked like he didn't quite want to leave yet. He still hadn't finished talking to this weird kunoichi!

"Oh, and I like your hair like that!" called the little Hyuuga over his shoulder, finishing their conversation. "Pandas are cute."

She blushed furiously and stared at her feet. "T-Thanks..." she muttered.

..ooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo..

The little bun-haired kunoichi dropped to the ground, panting. After the boy and his father had left her, she'd remained here for another three hours – practicing her projectile throwing. She'd even hit the mark a few times!

The girl looked up at the clouds, wondering if she'd ever be as good as Tsunade. School started tomorrow. Finally she'd be able to have professional training! The little kunoichi sighed heavily. If she became as skilled the Sanin, maybe people would respect her. They wouldn't just feel sorry for her...After all, she didn't want their pity. She wanted recognition. She wanted love.

These feelings were brought about because she had nobody to provide that for her. The girl had been found during a mission. Nobody knew who her parents were or where she came from. She'd apparently been left out in the middle of the forest – left for some wild animal to take. It had been hard to hear...hard to believe, but she'd had to accept it. Now, she had to prove her worth – prove that she wasn't just a discarded tool.

Her thoughts turned back to that little boy who'd so rudely interrupted her intensive training. _"'Pandas are cute...'"_ That's what he'd said. The little kunoichi found herself blushing again. Maybe...maybe she should keep this hairstyle. It was easy, it was effective, and apparently – it was cute. The girl smiled. This was the first time someone had complimented her, and it felt good.

School started tomorrow. Maybe she'd see him there...maybe not. Either way – the little kunoichi couldn't wait for what the future would bring.

..ooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo..

**Yay! I was playing around with why TenTen has the hairstyle she does, and this is what I came up with. I mean, usually only little kids have her hairdo...Ah well, who knows? I just think something like this would be cute. **

**Some of you might be thinking, "Hey. Neji isn't all cutesy and emotional...OOC-ness!!" However, I am here to tell you that this is **_**before**_** Neji finds out about the Hyuuga family "seal"/Hizashi dies, so he'd still be just a normal kid without all the angst. **

**Anyways, please feel free to review (if you feel inclined to do so). I love constructive criticism, so no worries – don't feel bad to critique this. **

**Um...and about the name...I don't know if I like it, so I might change it later. Don't freak out on me. **

**- Hikari **

**PS - I changed this to a oneshot. xD**


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